Unhappy Meal

[wabmester]

Good article by the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Unhappy Meal

He basically takes 12 pages to say:

Eat [real] food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

But he says it well.

 

[Khan]

Good article by the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Unhappy Meal

He basically takes 12 pages to say:

Eat [real] food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

But he says it well.

Very well.

I try to buy local.

I do notice I feel better when following the suggestions.

 

[lets-retire]

That short answer kind of sounds like the advice of the health gurus of the early to mid 90's, until the genereal public got a hold of it and twisted it to 'eat no fat.'

 

[My Dream]

Oh My, 12 pages.......I think I'll just wait and read these posts later on. Someone is bound to give us the coles notes version.

 

[windsurf]

My quest to forge an understanding of diet led me through much of the fad diet morass. I have read tons on diet and the best approach I have found for cutting through the hype and hogwash is to look at what humans ate before agriculture. Agricluture, you ask? Isn't grain the best basic food? Until 10,000 years ago any grain in the human diet was incidental. Ten thousand years is a tiny piece of evolutionary time. Meat and fibrous plants (fruits, roots, nuts, edible stems and leaves) were the human diet. Our paleo ancestors were taller and more robust than the generations that followed after agriculture. Of course, the modern diet has put us into caloric and, often, protein excess and height and weight are at all time highs. But not metabolic health. I try to eat from the outside of the supermarket: meat, fruit and veggies. It is not only common sense that mac and cheese, sugary cereal, cookies, so-called energy bars and chips and trans fat dip are not good, it is evolutionary science. The right kind of fats? If you can't find or afford grass fed meat or wild game (favorable omega 3 to omega 6 ratio) take fish oil.

 

[FinanceDude]

My quest to forge an understanding of diet led me through much of the fad diet morass. I have read tons on diet and the best approach I have found for cutting through the hype and hogwash is to look at what humans ate bfore agriculture. Agricluture, you ask? Isn't grain the best basic food? Until 10,000 years ago any grain in the human diet was incidental. Ten thousand years is a tiny piece of evolutionary time. Meat and fibrous plants (friuts, roots, nuts, edible stems and leaves) were the human diet. Our paleo ancestors were taller and more robust than the generations that followed after agriculture. Of course, the modern diet has put us into caloric and, often, protein excess and height and wieght are at all time highs. But not metabolic health. I try to eat from the outside of the supermarket: meat, fruit and veggies. It is not only common sense that mac and cheese, sugary cereal, cookies, so-called energy bars and chips and trans fat dip are not good, it is evolutionary science. The right kind of fats? If you can't find or afford grass fed meat or wild game (favorable omega 3 to omega 6 ratio) take fish oil.

Until Joe Public "revolts", and demands food companies make healthier choices, they will continue to use cheap low-grade additives that are not healthy.......

 

[HFWR]

Revolt? Hell, they're (consumers) clamoring for more convenience, resulting in more plastic food, not less...

But don't worry, it's fortified!! 8)

 

[Nords]

Revolt? Hell, they're (consumers) clamoring for more convenience, resulting in more plastic food, not less...
But don't worry, it's fortified!! 8)

The marketing guideline is:
"Never underestimate the laziness or the stupidity of the American consumer."

The guys who developed edible square slices of emulsified peanut butter & jelly (melts in your mouth, not in your hand, and no need for bread!) felt terribly embarrassed by their realization. Their feelings persisted almost until they'd cashed their first checks.

 

[TromboneAl]

I have found for cutting through the hype and hogwash is to look at what humans ate before agriculture.

That sounds like a good idea, but there's a big flaw in it:

Around that time, humans only lived to the ripe old age of 30 or so.

 

[ERD50]

Until Joe Public "revolts", and demands food companies make healthier choices, they will continue to use cheap low-grade additives that are not healthy.......

Who has to 'revolt'? The grocery stores are full of healthy choices, plenty of fruits, veggies, and you can supplement that with some meat (prepare it yourself - not a frozen, breaded, thing with 'stuff' in it).

Just 'demand' by making good choices - the stores are ever so ready to accommodate whatever you want to pay for - it is called capitalism. The real problem is that much of 'Joe Public' is miss-educated and/or lazy. I can't do much about that, I just need to make good choices for myself.

Around that time, humans only lived to the ripe old age of 30 or so.

People do forget that, don't they? And, only eating as much as you can gather/hunt that day tends to provide a lot of exercise and limits caloric intake. But we don't want to do that. But, why do so many people go to the gym?

-ERD50

 

[JohnEyles]

Eat [real] food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

But he says it well.

Yes, for example I heard him on NPR say something like "if your
great-grandmother would not recognize it as food, don't eat it !"

 

[wabmester]

Yes, for example I heard him on NPR say something like "if your
great-grandmother would not recognize it as food, don't eat it !"

Yup. For those who can't muster the courage to make it through 12 pages, start on page 11 for his 9-point summary including the great-grandma bit.

 

[lets-retire]

Yes, for example I heard him on NPR say something like "if your
great-grandmother would not recognize it as food, don't eat it !"

OH YEAH!!!! My great-grandmother was from Italy....I love Italian food.

 

[ladelfina]

Just got back from the grocery store. On offer (aside from the regular stuff, of course): pigeons, lambs' innards and heads, pigs' feet, tripe.. try capitalizing on THAT in the US these days. If a food has any resemblance to its origins, Americans don't wanna know about it. Try serving even just a fish or a shrimp with a head on it and watch people freak out.

Brains also much-loved but only available on the black market here these days due to mad-cow concerns (hey, they're young veal brains; no problemo). DH met the butcher in a parking lot where money exchanged hands along with a mysterious bag... (this actually happened; not a joke).

Last week our friends 'scored' some pajata and invited us over. Baby cow or lamb's intestines while they are still full of 1/2-digested milk (before they have started eating hay/grass/solid food). Kinda like a ricotta sausage... cut 'em up and make a tomato sauce and serve over rigatoni.

The lady of the couple promised to take me out collecting field greens. A large part of the diet here used to be (essentially) weeds. Not just dandelions but all manner of things.. she's going to help me recognize what's edible.

How many people d'ya think Central Park could feed, between the weeds and the pigeons? It'd be "Atkins"...

 

[Khan]

Just got back from the grocery store. On offer (aside from the regular stuff, of course): pigeons, lambs' innards and heads, pigs' feet, tripe.. try capitalizing on THAT in the US these days. If a food has any resemblance to its origins, Americans don't wanna know about it. Try serving even just a fish or a shrimp with a head on it and watch people freak out.

Brains also much-loved but only available on the black market here these days due to mad-cow concerns (hey, they're young veal brains; no problemo). DH met the butcher in a parking lot where money exchanged hands along with a mysterious bag... (this actually happened; not a joke).

Last week our friends 'scored' some pajata and invited us over. Baby cow or lamb's intestines while they are still full of 1/2-digested milk (before they have started eating hay/grass/solid food). Kinda like a ricotta sausage... cut 'em up and make a tomato sauce and serve over rigatoni.

The lady of the couple promised to take me out collecting field greens. A large part of the diet here used to be (essentially) weeds. Not just dandelions but all manner of things.. she's going to help me recognize what's edible.

How many people d'ya think Central Park could feed, between the weeds and the pigeons? It'd be "Atkins"...

Yum.

I once brought a pig's head from from a pig roast; they didn't believe I was going to make stew.

Chicken/duck feet make great broth.

Khan - farm kid

 

[donheff]

The marketing guideline is:
"Never underestimate the laziness or the stupidity of the American consumer."

The guys who developed edible square slices of emulsified peanut butter & jelly (melts in your mouth, not in your hand, and no need for bread!) felt terribly embarrassed by their realization. Their feelings persisted almost until they'd cashed their first checks.

Jon Stewart has been snacking on Jimmie Dean's Pancakes and Sausages on a Stick. Yum, yum.

 

[windsurf]

Re the comments on paleo life span, I should have known better than to post anything scientific. The life span figures reflect infant mortality, infectious disease, and accidents and not a dietary impact. There is a huge body of peer reviewed studies proving the efficacy of a diet closer to the evolutionary model as opposed to a diet based on processed food.

 

[Khan]

Jon Stewart has been snacking on Jimmie Dean's Pancakes and Sausages on a Stick. Yum, yum.

Chocolate chip pancakes (among others).

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Jon Stewart has been snacking on Jimmie Dean's Pancakes and Sausages on a Stick. Yum, yum.

You did see that he also chose a beverage to go with it?

http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=80824

Link should work...

 

[marty]

Re the comments on paleo life span, I should have known better than to post anything scientific. The life span figures reflect infant mortality, infectious disease, and accidents and not a dietary impact. There is a huge body of peer reviewed studies proving the efficacy of a diet closer to the evolutionary model as opposed to a diet based on processed food.

Windsurf you might find this to be of interest

http://www.performancemenu.com/resources/proteinDebate.php

 

[windsurf]

Trunk, thanks for the link. Cordain is a Phd at Colorado State and the most prolificof authors on paleo diet studies. Campbell of course is the author the China Study that touts lower protein. Ironically, both would come down on the side of natural vs. processed foods . . . and, most importantly, both agree on the importance of huge amounts of plants in the diet. The debate is over the ratio carb/protein/fat. I'm headed back to the link right now.

 

[flipstress]

wab, thanks for the link to the article. I read all of it and so did BF even before I did.

BF also finished "The Omnivore's Dilemma", the book written by the same author. I had brought the book home from the libe based on Nords' rec (thanks, Nords) but BF got to it before I did. I am still on the third chapter.

Pollan is an excellent writer. I will never ignore "the silence of the yams" again.